Read our latest review paper on stem cell models of embryo implantation and trophoblast invasion in the August 2025 issue of Current Opinion in Genetics & Development.
Congrats to our graduate students Peiheng Liu and Serene Mattis!
Thor was interviewed on The Stem Cell Report Podcast about our recent paper on tracking and mitigating imprint erasure during induction of naive human pluripotency (Fischer et al., Stem Cell Reports, 2025). Thanks Janet Rossant for hosting and Gal Keshet from the Benvenisty Lab at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem for a stimulating conversation!
Check out the podcast here: https://invt.io/1lxbgjymsg3
Thor visited snowy Montreal January 29-31, 2025, to present our latest work at two world-class institutions. Thanks, Will Pastor, for hosting me at McGill Biochemistry and Serge McGraw for hosting me at CHU Sainte-Justine. It was inspiring to see the exciting stem cell research being done in Quebec. Je vous remercie de m’avoir invité!
Seminar at CHU Sainte-Justine:
Dinner with Alex Dubrac, Serge McGraw, and Anthony Flamier (a fellow Jaenisch lab alum):
Group photo with the Pastor lab (sans Will):
We’re pleased to announce the arrival of our new postdoc, Dr. Regan Scott, from the Michael J. Soares lab at Kansas University Medical Center. Regan received her B.S. from Kansas State University and M.S. in Biomedical Sciences from Kansas City University. During her graduate studies with Professor Soares, Regan studied placental development with a focus on trophoblast stem cell differentiation to the invasive lineage. After receiving her Ph.D. in 2025, she joined the Theunissen lab to continue advancing the field of stem cell and developmental biology. Regan is a strong advocate for scientific research and reproductive health, and in her spare time she enjoys baking, doing puzzles, being outdoors, and spending time with family, friends, and her pets.
Regan, welcome to the team!
Laura Fischer, who served as a graduate student and briefly as a postdoc in our lab from 2018-2024, has taken up a new position as Director of the Human Cells, Tissues, and Organoids (hCTO) Core within WashU’s Center of Regenerative Medicine, effective December 1, 2024. During her PhD studies, Laura developed a methodology to track and mitigate imprint erasure during induction of naive human pluripotency. We thank Laura for her contributions and wish her all the best in her new position!
